'Barbara was such a force, brilliant and unstoppable'

Memorial service tributes to Woman of Substance author

- By Hannah Roberts

HOLLYWOOD star Liam Neeson yesterday paid tribute to novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford, praising her brilliance and elegance.

In a message read on behalf of the Schindler's List actor, 73, at her memorial service, he reflected on his role in TV drama A Woman of Substance, adapted from her 1979 debut novel.

The author died aged 91 in November following a short illness.

Actors and writers were among those at the service at St Bride's Church in Fleet Street, London.

In his message, Neeson said: “In 1984, I had the great honour of playing Blackie O'Neill in the television adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Woman of Substance, and again in its sequel Hold the Dream.

Storytelling